


Under the Table

by blackwyvern



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Alcohol, M/M, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-04-14 07:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4555200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackwyvern/pseuds/blackwyvern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prequel to Adjustment.  Raph and Casey are celebrating the defeat of the Kraang in the best way they know how.  A six pack and an awesome view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under the Table

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crazycatlady713](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazycatlady713/gifts).



By Casey's count his dad's been asleep on the couch for a good hour now. Likely the old man is deep into his slumbers, which suits Casey just fine. He presses his ear to the wall his room shares with his sister. The peaceful sounds of her dreaming drifting through the paper thin plaster and insulation assure him it's safe to proceed. 

Fishing the six pack of beer, nicked out of the fridge earlier, from it's hiding spot he lifts the window. Grateful that he oiled the hinges this morning as they slide with only a slight rusted creak. He slips out, gear firmly in place. Not that he's expecting a fight.

Tonight is about celebration. Yesterday his friends saved the city, and though it annoys him to have been benched for that fight, he isn't ungrateful. Far from it. Last night was the first time he'd seen his little sister and dad in months. And as much as the old man strikes more then a few nerves, Casey would rather have him here then a slave to those disgusting brain squids.

Not for the first time though Casey wishes he could have celebrated with his family and his friends. Something currently impossible. How do you explain to your dad that your best friend is a mutant turtle? Especially after what he's been through? Casey doubted that conversation would end well.

So tonight would be Casey's chance to celebrate with his best friend. He's not silent like his ninja friends, he has no concerns about stealth. His spray paint cans clink loudly as he hurtles gaps between buildings, the rattling a familiar comfort after the months mostly without it.

The roof with the water tower up ahead is his goal, and he scales the fire escape of the taller structure, ending up only slightly winded. It's been awhile since he's scaled any buildings and he never had set any records for speed. Raph's already there by the tower, waiting for him.

“Ya know I could hear ya from five blocks over?” Raph says, smirk tugging at his mouth.

“Yeah yeah, stealth's your thing man, not mine.” Casey quips back, giving a gaped grin and holding the pilfered beer up, they aren't exactly first class but they'll do to fulfill a promise.

They settle at the edge of the building, over looking the damaged city. In unison they crack their cans and knock them back, gulping several mouthfuls before pulling away.

“Ugh tastes like piss...” Raph snarls, beak wrinkling in a grimace that makes Casey laugh.

“How would you know what piss tastes like?”

“I live in sewer genius, don't need ta taste it when I can smell it.” He says, licking his lips and teeth to rid them of the sour after taste.

Casey shrugs in reply, sipping the remnants of his opened can, “Yeah, my old man likes to get the cheap stuff. You get used to it.”

In honesty Raph isn't sure he wants to get used to it. He's only drinking this to satisfy a promise he made to Casey. That he had to make it out of Dimension X in one piece so they could share a drink. Alcohol isn't something a mutant turtle can get easy access to, and although Splinter would have a conniption, this isn't Raph's first time trying it.

“Yeah, I don't think I have any plans to do this again.”

Casey snorts, “Just wait till I'm old enough and can buy the good shit. You'll see. Besides, you said that last time.”

Raph scoffs, “Yeah and last time ya said the next time would be the good shit.” 

After a shared chuckle they sit in silence for a time. Casey continuing to drink, while Raph had long since stopped. It's an easy silence at first, just taking in the cities recovering state. With it's still kraang crystal infested streets. At least the powers back on, the lights humming audibly thanks to the lack of traffic below.

Before long though Casey is firing questions about the mission he missed. Sharing a laugh over Leo's nerd outs and Mikey actually being in charge. It's a strange life they lead, Casey thinks, when this is the norm. Then again he always said he didn't want a normal life and it doesn't get more out there then this.

He's drunk his way through most of the six pack by now as Raph continues to talk. The sound a pleasant background hum. A small corner of his mind, slipped free from it's tight lock down by the restraint numbing effects of even this level of bad alcohol, realizes he might never have heard this again. It's a briefly sobering thought, brought on by Raph reaching the point in his story regarding how they almost didn't make it out. Stuck on a technodrome with a rampaging Kraang subprime bearing down on them. The last minute teleportation the only reason Raph's here now.

The alcohol is a warm and pleasant buzz in Casey's veins freeing his tongue to wander without the consent of the slightly saner parts of his brain. “It's pretty wild right?” He grins mirthlessly, “If it wasn't for the brainiac and that overpowered talking monkey I'd never see you again.”

“What? Gettin all soft on me there Jones?"

"Psh, never." He says with a chuckle and now genuine smile, "Jus thinkin it'd be a real shame if....--

 

\--The light is a searing stab of pain beyond the darkness of his eyelids and his head throbs in time to the beat of his pulse. Casey hisses, rolling over and burying his head beneath his pillow. While it does cancel out the light, it doesn't stop the headache. He's still dressed and realizes Raph must've carted him home last night. Most of what he remembers is fuzzy; occasional spots of memory crystallizing and faded at the edges. Buzzing at the edge of his consciousness they replay; tinged with taste of stale beer...

"...if..." He says, not sure how to continue the thought.

"If what?" Raph says, eyeridge quirked in his direction.

Without consulting with the rest of his brain, he leans toward Raph and plants a single, quick kiss right on his beak. "If I never did that." He states.

He laughs as Raph flushes dark green, tinged with red, and part of him vaguely wonders if Raph can color as bright as that mask of his.

"Yer drunk."

"Yep." No point in denying the obvious.

The turtle stares off at the city in stunned silence as he pops the top on the last can of beer. Raph's fingers brush his lips in disbelief at what he's just done. But as he continues to watch, Raph's expression changes. It isn't disgust or contempt, things, if he was sober, he would be worried about, but something else, something way more serious. Raph grabs the beer can from him firmly, tugging it away, "I think you've had enough." He says.

From there Casey's memories are spottier, he thinks they might've talked. Maybe. Or maybe they argued. Or maybe they discussed loudly as his mom and dad used to call it. He groans, fingers rubbing his temples in an attempt to ease the throbbing. 'First things first Jones', he thinks, 'aspirin, water, and getting more sleep, in that order. Then we can do damage control.'

The first two are easy to achieve, and on the way he pulls the blinds tight, shutting out as much light as possible with crappy New York apartment blinds. The third, however, proves harder. From his glimpse outside he's already been passed out for the majority of the day. Probably not just from the alcohol, Casey concludes, thinking of the amount of stress and pressure they've all been under lately.

'And ya just had to go and add to it, didn't ya Jones?' He chides himself.

His frustrating attempts to slip into dreamless sleep are keeping him so preoccupied he misses the sound of the window opening. He almost misses the rustle of the blinds being brushed aside and the shadow slipping into the dim twilight of his room.

“So about last night. What ya said...ya really mean it?”

The voice startles Casey so bad he almost yelps, hand half way to a nearby hockey puck ready to use it in defense before realization sets in. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I don't remember what I said--"

Raph's face falls for a split second before the wall can slam into place. He's quickly morphing into a frustrated looking indifference when Casey pushes forward--

"--I remember I kissed you though, so if what I said was about that...then yeah, I meant it."

Again the wall slips, he can see the relieved and brilliant gleam of Raph's green eyes before the emotion is pushed into submission. Casey smirks and Raph grins. Nothing will be the same for them....

....But who wants a normal life anyway?

**Author's Note:**

> Another request from the wonderful CrazyCatLady713. :D And because I'm a sucker for making things that have continuity, a prequel to the prior piece Adjustment. She asked if I would write my take on a confession under the influence and I happily obliged. I seriously feel like this is becoming it's own series but I'm writing it backwards.


End file.
